The following letter to the editor by Bill Berkowitz of Arlington, a Precinct 8 Town Meeting member, was first published in the Sunday, Sept. 25, New York Times, and is republished with the author’s permission. It was published in section titled “The Stakes in the Election,” in which readers discuss what a President Trump would mean for America’s future.
Many reasons explain the popularity of candidates such as Donald Trump, but one that stands out is the increasing distrust we feel toward our institutions and toward one another, as well documented in recent surveys.
This in turn leads to a lowered sense of community and a weakening of our democracy.
The way forward, no matter who wins the election, is to rebuild trust and community feeling. This can best begin on a local level.
All of us, leaders and community members alike, have a necessary role to play in creating cohesive, inclusive, sustainable and participatory local community life — which is the keystone of democratic self-rule, and of democracy itself.
This viewpoint was published Monday, Sept. 26, 2016. The writer, emeritus professor of psychology at University of Massachusetts Lowell, is a founding contributor to the Community Tool Box, a community building website.
